1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to plumbers' tools of the type used to remove and clean away obstructions formed in and blocking waste lines. More particularly, the apparatus of the invention comprises a coiled spring assembly that is controllably fed through the waist line. The coil spring assembly uniquely includes an elongated flexible tube, or sheath, defining an internal passageway and an elongated helically wound spring wire wound about the elongated flexible tube. Affixed to the outboard of the coiled spring assembly is a small video camera and a plurality of cutter blades for cutting away blockage in the waste lines. Disposed within the internal passageway of the elongated flexible tube is a fiber optic signal transmitting cable as well as various other operating cables that interconnect the video camera with a power source and with a remote viewing monitor. Also disposed within the internal passageway of the elongated flexible tube is a novel steel pull cable that uniquely functions protect the fiber optic signal transmitting cable and its companion operating cables from undue stress and potential failure during the waste line clean-out operation.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A wide variety of waste line clean-out devices have been suggested in the past. Normally the prior art waste line clean-out devices embody an elongated clean-out member known as a plumbers' snake. The plumbers' snake is ordinarily housed within a drum or hollow housing having an opening through which the spring or snake is fed and retracted axially of itself as the container is rotated. For those tools having power operated spring advancing and retracting means, the feed mechanism for advancing the coiled spring typically includes jaws, rollers, segmented nuts, or like structures that grip the spring so that when the spring is fed through the feed while being rotated it is controllably advanced into or retracted from the sewerline. As a general rule, cutter means affixed to the free end of the plumbers' snake function to cut away and clear blockages formed in the sewerline.
A very successful prior art waste clean-out apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,242 issued to the present inventor. This patent concerns an apparatus similar in some respects to the apparatus described in the present application, but does not contemplate means for visually inspecting the interior of the waste line as the cutting means cuts through an obstruction formed in the water lines. U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,242 is incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
Another very successful prior art waste clean-out apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,561 also issued to the present inventor. This latter patent discloses an apparatus for removing and cleaning away obstructions formed in and blocking waste lines. The apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,561 includes a unique high pressure jet water spray head which cooperates with a cutting element to remove obstructions in the waste line as the coil spring is urged forwardly of the waste line. The apparatus also includes a small video camera which is interconnected with a viewing monitor carried by the frame of the apparatus. Because of its pertinence to the present invention, U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,242 is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein. A drawback of the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,242 resides in the fact that during the waste line clean-out operation the various companion operating cables of the apparatus that interconnect the video camera with the viewing monitor are susceptible to undesirable overstressing and possible catastrophic failure. It is this drawback that the present invention seeks to overcome. As will be appreciated from the discussion that follows, the apparatus of the present invention constitutes a substantial improvement over the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,242 in that it provides novel means for positively preventing overstressing and possible catastrophic failure of the fiber optic signal transmitting cable and the various companion operating cables of the apparatus that interconnect the video camera with the viewing monitor.
In addition to the waste line clean-out devices discussed in the preceding paragraphs, various somewhat similar devices have been suggested for inspecting the interior walls of the sewerline. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,288 issued to Olsen. This apparatus uses electro-mechanical systems for inspecting the inside of pipes for defects and obstructions and more particularly discloses a push cable that mechanically and electrically connects a video camera head to a push reel and video circuit. The push cable of the device comprises an elongated, resiliently flexible push member and an elongated signal transmitting cable. In use, the video camera which is disposed proximate the free end of the push cable, permits visual inspection of the walls of the pipe as the push cable is pushed along the length of the pipe. However, these devices are limited to use with short drain lines, whereas the device of the present invention, which uses automatic feed and turn power for rotating the cable drum can be used in much longer drain lines.